Cupboards and Cryogenics

Chapter 12

The Asset falls stiffly to the pavement of the Tesco parking lot. He would think he'd been hit by some sort of sedative dart- perhaps HYDRA has caught up to him for real- but he had not felt anything pierce his skin.

The Asset finds himself paralyzed. It's somewhat similar to the sensation of his body freezing in the cryogenic tank that he experiences for the few seconds before unconsciousness, except without the cold.

THE ASSET IS NOT FUNCTIONING. MISSION COMPROMISED. CANNOT PROTECT HARRY THE HANDLER.

That really could have gone without the voice saying it, the Asset thinks as he tries to overcome his paralysis. The escorts who were supposed to drive the Asset and Harry back to the plane had been paralyzed by the enemy asset's weaponized stick, but the enemy asset is nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he teleported behind them, and is simply keeping out of the Soldier's sight range.

Like the escorts, the Asset can only move his eyes.

Then, all of the Asset's weapons fly away from him, except for the prosthesis. The servos whir, but the metal arm is paralyzed as well.

"Batman?" Harry the Handler asks, standing in the middle of the food that had fallen out of one of their bags. He seems unharmed by the shattered brandy bottles, fortunately, although Nighty seems to have stepped in one of them and the dog lets out a pained whimper. "Mr. A'set?"

RESPOND.

The Soldier cannot respond to his handler like he is supposed to. "We go to sleep now?" The boy asks, as if he decided to sleep without his handler's permission. Does he not see that his eyes are open? The boy's eyesight seems terrible without his glasses.

The greasy-haired enemy asset that he had rendered unconscious suddenly appears as if from behind an invisible curtain, very conscious this time. He's holding a cloak, which is apparently what made him invisible The cloak is better camouflage than the Asset has ever seen. It's as if he was actually invisible under the cloak.

The man is also holding a broomstick, which is a poor choice of weapon, but perhaps he had no other choice after the Asset took his weaponized stick. The Asset wonders if it is a larger version of a weaponized stick, disguised to look ordinary.

No, it seems the enemy asset has his weaponized stick back. It could have been a different weaponized stick than the one he took, except the enemy asset is currently sneering at him for having dared to take it.

The Soldier reflects that he really should have finished off this enemy asset, instead of just rendering the man unconscious during their fight the previous night. No witnesses has been a standing order for every mission, so why had he left this man alive?

That poor decision really came back to bite him in the ass; the man had come back with reinforcements.

Then, a robed old man with silvery hair and a beard that both reach his waist pops out of nowhere, but he's not holding a cloak. When did they invent cloaks that grant invisibility, as well as cloakless methods, and why does the Asset not have it? Skilled as he may be at avoiding detection, it would be easier if he could turn invisible as well.

What are these men, wizards? The enemy asset had done some impossible things, much like Harry the Handler. Is Harry a wizard too? Is that why these two are coming after them?

The enemy asset grabs the Soldier, while the old man takes Harry the Handler's hand and grabs onto Nighty the dog. "You are safe now, Harry." The old man says. The enemy asset grabs onto the old man's arm, still holding onto the Soldier, the cloak and the broomstick.